Serving the youth population of rural Nicaragua since 2015

A message from La Charla Founder Simone Ippoliti

In the summer of 2015, I traveled to Troilo, Nicaragua to implement a pilot program as part of my masters’ thesis. My research hypothesis was this: a culturally and linguistically appropriate sex-ed program that focuses on empowerment and gender dynamics can decrease the rate of teen pregnancy in rural Nicaragua.

After teaching the sex-ed program to a group of 40 students ages 12-18, I realized that the impact of the program could not be readily determined in a mere 8 weeks. To determine whether the program effectively decreased teen pregnancy rates, I would need to evaluate indicators of sexual behavior, such as feelings of empowerment, sexual health knowledge and willingness to use contraception. For these indicators, I would need to evaluate the program over a greater length of time and, to do that, I would need people to teach the program once I returned the US. I quickly realized that the classes were most successful when the students led one another in dynamic discussion on more sensitive issues and I served more as a facilitator than lecturer. Through this, the peer-led model was born.

Thank you for visiting our page and taking time to learn about La Charla.

Sincerely,
Simone Ippoliti

Education is the Best Contraception

La Charla aims to decrease teen pregnancy and increase access to higher education by empowering teens with the knowledge and capacity to make informed choices about their futures.

Meet the young people of La Charla

Meet the young people who are helping lead the way to better education, reducing teen pregnancies and increasing empowerment among their peers. Click the button to learn more and hear their stories.